This invention relates to garment carriers and more particularly to soft sided foldable garment carriers of the type used as carry-on luggage by business and other travellers. Soft sided foldable garment carriers come in several basic sizes. First, garment carriers built for use mainly by men tend to have an unfolded length approximating 38-42 inches. This length is suitable for housing men's suit coat and pants therein. Soft sided garment carriers having a longer length approximating 46-50 inches are suited mainly for carrying women's clothes, namely, dresses. Likewise, there are several thicknesses of garment carriers. Very light, thin, garment carriers, usually made without a separate peripheral side panel, may be suitable for carrying one suit and a companion shirt. However, most garment carriers come in two basic sizes, identified in the trade as either a two suit garment carrier, or a four suit garment carrier. The thinner two suit garment carrier is used for short trips, such as business trips, where a couple of suits, or one suit and numerous shirts can be positioned in the garment carrier for trips of several days' length. A larger carry-on type garment carrier, designated a four suiter, is utilized for longer trips, vacations, and the like, where a substantial number of changes of clothes need to be taken with a traveller. The frequent business traveller may have use for a two suiter type garment carrier on most business trips. However, such a traveller may need a larger garment carrier for infrequent longer trips.
A need has developed for soft sided foldable garment carrier which may be used by business or other travellers for a substantial number of trips of several days' duration, while possessing expansibility in its structure and function for use as a larger garment carrier on infrequent or longer trips.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, generally stated, to provide an improved soft sided garment carrier having expansive capabilities for housing addditional clothing on longer trips, while having a basic size more suited to typical business trips of shorter duration.